Fire Nation Eyes
by StrgateAtlantis1
Summary: Zuko proposed, Katara ran.  Now she's raising their daughter, Roku, alone.  When Roku finds out who her father is, nothing will get in her way of finding him, even the Fire Nation's Civil War. Zutara,Taang,Sukka
1. Prologue

**A/N:**_ Sweet, I finally started writing a Zutara fic! :D It's taken me three years... Anyway, I know this 'prologue' is realllly short, but that's really all I needed it to be. So, yeah. I have been working on fanart for this fanfic before I ever posted it. It's on deviantart! My screenname there is Crzy4Avatar, so look me up and check out the characters! ;D There are still some I have yet to draw, but I'm working on them. Happy reading!_

* * *

"Prologue"

It was strange being able to walk through the streets of the Fire Nation capital, without having to hide the fact she was from the South Pole. Although her blue robes stuck out horribly against the usual red and gold, she wasn't stopped or stared at. It had only been a year and a half since the war had ended, and already the world was returning to the way things used to be, long before she was born.

As Katara came to the Fire Nation Palace gates, she saw a familiar face waiting. She smiled, and she wrapped her arms around the taller boy. He may have been the Fire Lord, but that didn't stop him from being a teenager. They hadn't seen each other since his coronation, and were looking forward to catching up. As they began to walk toward the Palace, Katara looked around for someone.

"Where's Mai?" she asked, looking up at Zuko. He looked at her, a little confused.

"She left almost a year ago…" Zuko mumbled.

"Oh," Katara smiled uncomfortably. "Sorry, I haven't been around much."

"It's fine." Zuko said.

"So, what happened? If you don't mind me asking…"

"She liked the old Zuko…" he sighed. Katara could tell he was still a little sad about it.

"Well I prefer the new Zuko." Katara grinned. "And, so does everybody else." Zuko laughed.

"Where's Aang?" Zuko was the one asking questions now.

"Right, you didn't hear…" Katara frowned. "We broke up too."

"Really?" Zuko's good eye widened. "What happened?"

"Um, it was mutual really… I started to grow up, and Aang's responsibilities didn't allow us to spend much time together. We just grew apart."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're still friends. We see each other often." Katara reached into her over-the-shoulder bag, and pulled out a package, wrapped in what looked like some kind of thin leather. "This is for you!" She smiled, as she gave it to Zuko. "Happy 19th birthday!"

"Who told you…" Zuko began; when he remembered he had told Aang several months ago that he didn't want to spend his birthday alone. He must have told Katara. He thanked his friend, and took the present. "Do you mind if I open it later?"

"Not at all." Katara shook her head. "I was surprised to hear from Aang that your birthday was in the winter…"

"Why?" Zuko asked, looking down at her.

"Well, I thought all firebenders were born in the summer."

"All the good ones are, at least, that's what everyone thought." Zuko mumbled.

"You proved them wrong, huh?" Katara said warmly.

"Yeah," Zuko smiled.

"So… How is it being Fire Lord?"

"It's alright… Having to clean up after my father's mess isn't too great…"

"I could imagine." Katara said. "It has to have some perks though, right?"

"Not yet." Zuko sighed. Katara laughed softly.

"I'm sure it gets better." She smiled. Zuko, however, wasn't so sure.

"How long are you planning to stay?" Zuko asked.

"A few days maybe." Katara answered. "I need some time away from the snow."

"You could stay longer if you like… It gets really lonely around here with Uncle living in Ba Sing Se…" Zuko's cheeks became pink.

"Maybe I will." Katara shrugged.

"So, how's Sokka?"

"He's good, great actually. He and Suki got married a few weeks ago." Katara said.

"Right, sorry I couldn't make it…" Zuko smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay. We know you have much more bigger things to deal with."

"You have no idea…" Zuko said, almost inaudibly.

"It sure is warm here in the winter…" Katara grumbled, clearly unhappy with the heat.

Zuko could only laugh.

* * *

**A/N:**_ You know, I have never ended a chapter with one sentence. :D There's a first time fore everything I guess. I wrote this really fast, so it's not as good as my usual writing. I'm posting the actual first chapter right after this, since it's already written. Check it out! (but leave a review first please!) Thanks!_


	2. Child of Fire

**A/N:**_ Whoo! Actual first chapter! Yay! Again, go check out my deviantart account, Crzy4Avatar, to see my fanart for this fic! Drawings of characters and stuff. :D I'm really excited about this fic, guys. Really excited. Whoo! Review at the end, even if you've already reviewed, review again! (I like to see what people think chapter to chapter!) Second chapter coming soon!_

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"Child of Fire"

Katara looked at her newborn daughter proudly. She was beautiful. She was perfectly healthy for a baby that had been born a month early. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, and her hair was a deep chocolate brown. There was only one problem... The girl's skin was practically as pale as the snow falling outside the igloo, and her eyes were the color of golden amber. If anyone in the South Pole was unsure about the child's father, it would certainly be clear to them now. She hadn't told anyone who the father was, not Sokka, her dad, or even Aang. Her father, surprisingly, was the only one who respected her privacy, while everyone else bugged her about who the father could possibly be. She had been hoping the baby would take after her, tan skin and blue eyes, but now her plan of not telling anyone what had actually happened was thwarted. Her daughter was part Fire Nation, and now there was no way to deny it to anyone.

Looking at the cooing infant, all she wanted to do was run away; bring her somewhere they wouldn't be known, and could live in peace. She'd never actually do that, but she certainly wanted to. Just as she was about to get lost in her thoughts, Sokka and her father came into the igloo, smiling. Katara was a little hesitant to show them the baby, but finally sat up fully, giving the two men a better look. The infant looked at them curiously, her large golden eyes moving from her mother to the two warriors standing by her.

"She's Fire Nation..." Sokka mumbled, as if it was something horrible.

"How can you tell?" Hakoda asked, the view of his granddaughter slightly blocked by Sokka's head.

"Her eyes, look." Sokka frowned. "And her skin, it's as pale as snow! Katara, how did this happen?"

"Sokka!" Hakoda grumbled. "It doesn't matter! The Fire Nation isn't the enemy anymore." He glared at his son, giving him a silent, but stern, message.

"Who is he?" Sokka asked, his voice kinder now. He knelt down next to the mat Katara was laying on, and looked at his sister worriedly.

"It's none of his business, Katara. You don't need to-" Hakoda began.

"It's Zuko." Katara looked down at the baby in her arms.

"The Fire Lord?" Hakoda's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I didn't even know you two were ever together." Sokka's anger turned into concern. At least he _knew_ who the father of his new niece was.

"I don't want to go into the details now, Sokka." Katara looked away.

"Well... Does he know?" Sokka asked.

"No, and I won't tell him."

"Okay." Sokka nodded. Clearly, something had happened between his sister and Zuko that she didn't want to share. "She _is _really pretty..." Sokka quickly changed the subject, a goofy smile forming on his face.

"She is, isn't she?" Katara's angry frown slowly turned into a proud smile.

"What's her name?" Hakoda asked, putting his hand on his 18-year-old daughter's shoulder.

"Roku. Her name is Roku." Katara said softly.

"Like Avatar Roku?" Sokka said, confused.

"It's a girls name too, you know." Katara gave her brother a quick glare.

"Yeah, I know, but what made you pick it?" Sokka asked.

"I'll tell you someday." Katara sighed. "Now isn't the time."

"Hello Roku." Hakoda grinned, wiggling his finger in front of the infant's face. Roku quickly grabbed it with both of her tiny hands. "What are we gonna have her call me?"

"I thought I'd just have her call you Papa." Katara said. "Suki used to call her grandfather that, and we both agreed it would be appropriate for Kya and Roku to call you the same." She was referring to Sokka and Suki's daughter, named after their mother, who had been born several months ago.

"Fine by me!" Hakoda laughed.

"I didn't agree to that!" Sokka protested.

"No, you would have come up with something like PawPaw." Katara growled.

"Hey, I like PawPaw!" Sokka folded his arms across his chest.

"Alright, Sokka, we've bothered her enough. Let's leave them alone now." Hakoda grabbed his son's shoulder, and pulled him out of the igloo. Katara could hear Sokka begin to whine in protest. She rolled her eyes, and found her sight once again on Roku.

Katara was glad to have a moment alone with her daughter. It gave her time to think. The baby looked up at her, her golden eyes reminding her of Zuko's. A thought in the back of her mind bothered her suddenly... _How am I ever going to look at her and not think of him? _Katara knew it was a horrible thing to think about so soon after welcoming her daughter into the world, but she couldn't help it.

She didn't hate Zuko, far from it. She still loved him with all her heart. But she had left him for the well being of the child she now held in her arms. The last thing she wanted was to be seen as 'the woman who ruined the Royal Family bloodline', since she, herself, was a waterbender, and was likely to have waterbending children. Of course, Katara was unsure about Roku's possible bending ability. After all, most waterbenders, herself included, were born in the winter, and it was currently the end of the summer. The likelihood that Roku would turn out to be a waterbender was slim. She was probably going to end up being a firebender, just like her father.

Katara frowned for a moment. She couldn't even imagine how difficult it would be to raise a firebender in the South Pole... She would never forbid Roku from using her bending, so all Katara could do was hope that she would turn out to be a waterbender after all...

* * *

Zuko absentmindedly walked through the main hall of the palace. He no longer noticed the empty spaces on the wall where the portraits of Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai once hung. Since he began his reign as Fire Lord, he had everything that related to the war removed. He had hoped it would help begin a new era of the Fire Nation. It was impossible, however, with what was currently happening. There had always been people who opposed Zuko becoming the Fire Lord, people who still believed that Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai had been right to try and control the world. They were being called 'Ozai Loyalists'. There had been an increased number of attacks by them on small villages inside the Fire Nation within the past three months, and the people of the Fire Nation were living in fear, and most wanted to fight back. Zuko knew it could only lead to one thing. Civil war.

The loyalist numbers were growing every day. Zuko had no idea of how to find them, since there seemed to be a dozen separate groups scattered across the continent. He felt powerless against them, they picked villages to attack randomly. There was no way of knowing where they would strike next. The loyalists never killed more than six people in each attack, and most of the victims were men. Zuko thought it was a strange number, but people were dying, and he had to find a way to stop it. He just didn't know how.

As if the impending civil war wasn't enough, the Fire Sages were now on him about finding a wife. Katara had only left almost seven months ago, and they were already bugging him about finding someone else. He just didn't want to. Not yet. For once in his life, he was holding onto hope. The hope that Katara might come back. He still couldn't believe he had fallen for her so quickly, and still loved her so much. It was very uncharacteristic of him, and he had no idea of how it happened. He knew it was his fault that she left. He had asked her to be his Fire Lady after they had been together for a little more than a month. It was too much, too soon, and Zuko regretted ever doing it.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I'm not sure I like the way that ended, but I couldn't think of anything to put. Hmmm... Tell me what you thought! :D_


	3. You Could Be Happy

**A/N:**_ Whoo! It's been so long since an update! Truthfully, there is no excuse for that. So I won't give one. :) Anyway! Here it is. In all it's glory. Also, I've been doing some art of my own for this fic... you can find it on deviantart under the artist name Crzy4Avatar ! Enjoy!_

* * *

_"You Could Be Happy"_

**3 Years Later**

Being Fire Lord came with multiple unknown pressures. The most surprising to Zuko was how hard the Fire Sages were pushing him to marry. He had only turned twenty-two several months ago, and he had already been forcefully set up with _eligible_ women. Eligible meaning they were of higher wealth and social standing, making a marriage more, as the sages put it 'appealing'. As if he didn't have enough on his plate with running a country. He always managed to find something wrong with each woman they set him up with. Zuko had no idea that the Sages were so worried about a Fire Lord's love life, and it was getting a bit creepy. He already had to worry about assassination attempts daily, he could barely show his face in public without a flaming arrow flying by his head. Finding a wife really wasn't a top priority for him.

He now sat across the table from a very pretty, but terribly boring woman. She was the daughter of one of his Admirals, and a 'perfect match' for him... He found himself resting his chin in his hand, watching her talk about how her fire ferret once got stuck in under her family's stove. His mind was drifting all over the place, from when his Uncle was going to visit again, all the way to what he would feed the turtle ducks tomorrow, lettuce or bread... He looked at her again, and watched her eat a dumpling in two very large bites. He had only ever seen one other person stuff her face like that in his presence, and she was hundreds of miles away in the South Pole, probably eating dinner with her husband or boyfriend or something.

Roulan, at least he thought that was her name, was speaking like a spoiled, self-concerned brat, who desperately wanted to be one of the most authoritative women in the world. He felt bad about it, but he had absolutely no desire to ever see her again. He knew he used to be like her; to proud of his nobility to care about people who happened to be less fortunate, but he had changed so much since he was sixteen. She clearly had no immediate intention to even try to understand those of a lower class. As he saw her about to open her mouth again, most likely to say something that would bore him even further; he stood, rather abruptly, and look down at her.

"I apologize, Roulan. But I just can't hear you talk anymore, not without losing part of my sanity. Tell your father I'm sorry that it didn't work out." Zuko said, a bit insincerely.

"Fire Lord Zuko..." Roulan whimpered.

"I have to go. I'll have one of my guards show you the way out." Zuko turned and left without another word. On the way back to his chambers, one of the Sages, who had been secretly watching the dinner, caught up with him.

"My Lord, couldn't you have been nicer to her? She is Admiral Yan's eldest daughter." the Sage said.

"I can't take anymore of this!" Zuko growled. "No more of this stupid match making! Not for a very long time, do you understand?"

"Yes, Fire Lord," the Sage nodded. "but..."

"Stay out of my personal life!" Zuko shouted, slamming the door to his chambers, right on the Fire Sage's nose.

Happy with the silence that followed, Zuko rubbed his forehead trying to calm himself. He walked across the room and stood in front of his window, overlooking the courtyard. The same place where he proposed to Katara... the place where she refused, and walked out of his life forever.

He slammed his head against the closest wall. It was foolish of him to be so unwilling to find someone else, it had been over three years since he last saw her, and he knew she wouldn't come back. She never answered any of his letters, or messages he relayed through Aang... A part of him hated himself for falling for the young Waterbender so quickly. They were young, maybe too young, but if it was just 'puppy love', then why did he still miss her so terribly? It didn't make any sense to fall for someone over the length of one Summer, and it was very unlike him.

His Uncle would know what to say, but Zuko didn't have the time to go see him in Ba Sing Se, not now with all the reports of people gathering together; people who were still loyal to his father, and the Fire Nation Sozin had created. He couldn't go around worried about his love life when his country's safety could be in danger.

He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. His heart would have to wait.

* * *

The igloo was a disaster, furs were everywhere, the sleeping mats looked like they had been thrown across the room, even the fire wood pile, that Katara usually kept so neat, was falling apart. And Katara stood in the middle of it all. She had spent the last two hours tearing their home apart looking for Riku's doll. Aang had given it to her for her second birthday, and she had been able to keep track of it for a year. Katara knew it would inevitably get lost and she would be the one stuck looking for it, and now here she was, looking for the damned thing like her life depended on it. It did, in a way, since she knew Roku would be unable to sleep without it.

The young waterbender slumped to the floor, thinking of one last place to look. She turned to the wooden chest she was leaning against and opened it. How Roku's doll would end up in a chest full of blankets and furs, she had no idea, but it couldn't hurt to look. One by one, she removed each blanket and shook it out, hoping to see her daughter's doll go flying across the room. One by one she was disappointed. Soon, only one blanket remained. She shook it vigorously, now annoyed beyond words at her inability to find the stupid doll. The sound of hollow wood hitting the floor suddenly caught her attention. Katara stood, finding what had fallen out of the blanket. It was a black wooden box with gold trimming. She bent over to pick it up, when something fell out. A flash of crimson ribbon made her heart jump. Now she knew why the box looked so familiar. She knelt down, and the picked the object up as if it was a fragile ice carving. Swallowing, she turned the object over in her hand. The dark red ribbon fell across her palm, revealing a beautifully carved Fire Opal pendent.

It was the betrothal necklace Zuko had made for her, telling her he wanted to do it the Water Tribe way, '_be traditional and all_'.

Katara took in a shaky breath. She hadn't seen Zuko since the day she left him, leaving only a note behind. She had wanted to say yes, but it had been the same day she had found out about Roku. She had panicked, she had to keep her future child's life in mind. What if she had been a waterbender? Certainly the Fire Nation wouldn't like a waterbender as their heir... She couldn't see her daughter as the heir to the Fire Nation throne, even if she did end up being a fire bender. It wasn't clear yet what she would be. She was doing fine raising her alone anyways.

Not that it wasn't hard. Of course there was Sokka, Suki, and her father. Even Gran Gran helped when she could. But ultimately she was on her own. Every now and then, while Roku was watching other families in the village, she would ask Katara why she didn't have a family like that, why she didn't have a dad. Katara had readied a lie shortly after Roku's birth, that her father died before she was born, and he was from the Earth Kingdom. But how could she tell that to a girl who was clearly Fire Nation? So she told her a warped version of the truth. Her daddy lived in the Fire Nation, but wasn't ready to be a daddy. Roku responded that it wasn't fair, that she needed a daddy too, that her daddy was being selfish... It broke Katara's heart, because, deep down, she knew she was the one being selfish.

A soft sniffle came from behind her, and Katara was pulled from her thoughts. She tucked the necklace into her tunic's pocket as she turned, met with two pairs of young eyes. One dark blue, the other gold.

"Hi girls." Katara smiled at her niece and daughter. Roku's hair had grown long; straight, without the slightest curl. Her features where sharp and angled, taking after her father. Almost everything about her was Fire Nation, perhaps all but the color of her hair.

"Hi Auntie Katara!" Kya grinned. Roku stood there, hiding half her face inside her parka.

"Did you find her?" Roku asked, her voice was soft.

"No, sweetie, I haven't." Katara frowned.

"What are you looking for?" Kya asked.

"My doll." Roku said.

"Oh! I know where she is!" Kya grinned.

"Really?" Both Katara and Roku asked.

"Yeah, it's at my house!" she nodded.

"I asked Sokka..." Katara grumbled. "...He probably didn't even look!" She stomped out of the igloo, leaving Roku and Kya a little confused. She found Sokka sharpening his spear. She stood over him for several moments, blocking the sunlight.

"Can I help you, Katara?" Sokka asked.

"I asked you if you had seen Roku's doll, and you said no!" Katara growled.

"That's because I haven't seen it..." Sokka sighed.

"Did you even look!"

"I-" Sokka held up a finger, as if about to explain something.

"Don't lie to me, Sokka!"

"No."

"UGH! You are so lazy sometimes!"

"Auntie Katara, it's okay!" Kya pulled on her sleeve. "I found'ed it!" She lifted up the doll.

"Thank you, Kya." Katara calmed down quickly to thank her niece.

"I'm gonna go find Roku and give it back!" Kya grinned broadly, as she ran off to find her cousin. Katara smiled, watching her run off.

"See, problem solved." Sokka said suavely.

"Don't think I'm not still mad at you!" Katara whipped around to face her brother again, one of her hair loopies smacking her in the face. Katara, having satisfyingly made her brother hold his spear close to him for comfort, walked away. She heard crunching snow behind her, feet away from her home. She spun around angrily, thinking it was Sokka.

"Hey!" Hakoda put his hands up innocently when he saw the look on Katara's face. "What's the matter?" Every time he left for a little while, he would always come back to find out that Sokka had done something wrong. He had only been back for a few hours, but he had clearly done something wrong again.

"Sokka's impossible! I don't understand how Suki can put up with him!" Katara shouted. He had been right... again.

"He's a guy. We're hard to figure out." Hakoda mumbled jokingly. "I need to talk to you."

"Is everything okay?" Katara asked, noticing the worried tone in her father's voice. Hakoda didn't answer, but pulled her into her igloo. "Dad, you're scaring me."

"It's about Zuko." he said softly.

"Is he alright?" Katara asked.

"As far as I know... For now at least." Hakoda frowned. "There were rumors going around the village we stopped at to get supplies that there have been multiple attempts to kill him..."

"Kill him?" Katara inhaled sharply. "Who would—why?"

"We all knew there would be some resistance to him becoming Fire Lord. And now with the possible Civil War..." Hakoda paused. "Katara, what I'm saying is, you need to tell him."

"No." Katara said calmly.

"What if something does happen to him? What if he dies not knowing about Roku?"

"And what if these assassination attempts continue, and Roku become public knowledge? What could happen to her dad? Do you think those Ozai loyalists would spare her?"

"Katara." Hakoda frowned. "If I were him..."

"I'm not going to put her at risk!" Katara shook her head. Hakoda opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. "You need to go dad. I have to clean up."

"Alright." Hakoda nodded. "Just... think about what I said."

"Sure." Katara waved a hand at him, telling him to leave.

Once Hakoda had left, Katara pulled the necklace out of her pocket. She smiled as she remembered Zuko apologizing for the red ribbon and gem, since blue ones were hard to come by in the Capital. She remembered the broken look in his eyes when she back away. The noise the box made when he threw it at the door she had run through. She couldn't understand why she went back to the courtyard that night and took the necklace and box from where it lay. Something to remember that summer by, maybe.

* * *

Roku didn't like it when the other children in the village didn't invite her to play. They invited Kya, she was good at playing games. But so was Roku, at least she thought she was. Her doll in her arms, she marched over to where everyone was playing, and walked right up to the boy who had organized the game. Her face was scrunched up into a scowl, frightening the boy, Harook. He was about two years older than her, so she had to look up a bit to meet his eyes.

"Roku?" she heard Kya say behind her. But the three year old was determined to make her point and paid all her attention to Harook.

"I can play games too." she growled at the older boy. "I'm good at them."

"But I don't want you to play." Harook said.

"Why not?" Roku felt her face getting hot.

"Cause... You're not normal."

"Hey, Roku, we van go play our own game!" Kya said, tugging at her cousin's parka.

"I wanna play with them! I am normal! I am!" Roku pulled away from Kya. "You're stupid, Harook!"

"What's going on here?" a booming voice startled most of the children, but Roku kept her eyes pinned on Harook.

"Papa!" Kya ran over to Hakoda, grabbing his hand. "Roku's angry at Harook!"

"Roku..." Hakoda's voice went soft. He could never catch a break with his daughter or granddaughter. "What's wrong?"

"Harook won't let me play because he says I'm not normal." Roku looked up at him, a fire burning in her eyes.

"Harook, why isn't Roku normal?" Hakoda got on his knees to better handle the situation.

"She doesn't look like us." Harook crossed his arms in front of his chest. Roku stomped her foot, and Hakoda saw the dying fire besides them gain life to its flames. "My mommy says her daddy isn't from here. That he's Fire Nation."

"Yes, but the Fire Nation isn't an enemy anymore. You know that."

"I don't like her." he said simply. "Her daddy doesn't want her, neither do we." Hakoda knew with those words, Harook was in a load of trouble, not just from him, but from his granddaughter who suddenly took it upon herself to tackle the boy to the ground and start hitting him.

"He wants me!" she shouted, tearing streaming from her eyes. "He does! He does!" Hakoda went to pull Roku off of Harook when he noticed Roku's swing at him had produced a small ribbon of flame, almost catching Harook's hair on fire. Thankfully it hit the snow above him. Hakoda scooped Roku up, and held onto her tight.

"She's crazy!" Harook shouted. "Did you see what she did!"

Hakoda didn't acknowledge the boy for the moment, deciding on having a talk with him later. Roku needed his attention right now.

"Papa, lemme go!" Roku squirmed. The tips of her mittens having burnt away, leaving the majority of what was left black and chard. He didn't put her down until they were at the igloo she and Katara called home.

"Roku, look at me." Hakoda stood her up in front of him, kneeling to her level. He lifted her chin with his hand. She looked at him, eyes red from tears. "Do you have a mommy and a Papa who love you?" She nodded silently. "And Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki, do they love you?" Again she nodded.

"But Harook..."

"Harook doesn't know what he's talking about. You're different than everyone else, and that makes you special. You can take pride in your heritage, Roku. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Is being from the Fire Nation bad, Papa?" Roku asked.

"No. It's not bad." Hakoda sighed. He pulled off her chard mittens. "Roku, do you know what you almost did to Harook?" She simply shook her head.

"Should I tell him I'm sorry?" she looked at the ground.

"No. He was wrong. He should say sorry to you." Hakoda smiled.

"Dad?" Katara entered the igloo hurriedly. "What happened?"

"Roku, go find Auntie Suki. Help her make dinner." Hakoda said. Roku nodded, hugging him before she left.

"Dad?" Katara repeated.

"Don't worry. She just got into a little fight with Harook." he sighed.

"Harook again? I've spoken with his mother several times..." Katara began a rant, but Hakoda put a hand on her shoulder. "What's that look for? Did something else happen?"

"She firebended, Katara." Hakoda looked at her worriedly. "Right at Harook. I saw it."

"Oh no..." Katara put a hand up to her mouth.

"He's fine. It missed him. But looks like our worries came true." he frowned.

"Does she know what she did?"

"No. The only problem will be explaining it to everyone..." Hakoda grumbled. "I'm sure they'll accept it, in time. But she might be ostracized by the children for a little while."

"I was hoping she'd be a waterbender so we wouldn't have to worry about that." Katara said. She knew it was a possibility, considering she was born at the height of Summer. "It's okay." she inhaled deeply, letting out a calming breath. "I'll just explain it to her... She'll understand some of it at this age at least."

"Maybe we should have someone who firebends explain it to her..." Hakoda suggested.

"I'm not telling Zuko..." Katara rolled her eyes.

"I meant Aang." Hakoda clarified.

"Oh." Katara said. "I guess that would make sense..." He'd do that for her, surely. He hadn't visited the South Pole in while, he could make a visit out of...

"I'll see you at dinner." Hakoda hugged her.

"Thank you, dad. You have to be one of the most understanding fathers in the world." Katara laughed.

"My daughter had the Fire Lord's daughter, I had a feeling there would be chaos." Hakoda smiled as he left the igloo.

* * *

**A/N:**_ So, how was it? Review please! Aang in the next one! Whoo! Also, more detail on the possible Fire Nation Civil War. oooooooh! Roku has Zuko's temper, huh? And Harook, what an ass! The next chapter will be mostly the same year, but it will skip ahead a few near the end I think. Haven't written it yet. I've also decided to make Roku just a firebender. I was thinking about doing a 'dual-bender' thing, but I read a few fics about it, and decided against it. So, stay tuned! And review... did I already say that? :D_


	4. The Sound of Drumming

**A/N:**_ So, during my time away, I've managed to make much longer chapters. Which is really good news for everyone. :) I'm sorry, again, for making everyone wait 2 years, but I can't describe how happy I was that you came back! So, the end of this gets really sappy, I'll admit. But I was listening to really sappy music and that affects what I write. And all those PMs I got about more Zutara in this, here you go._

* * *

"The Sound of Drumming"

_5 Years Later_

The warm breezes of Ba Sing Se did nothing to quell Katara's homesickness. She hadn't felt the chill of the South Pole in over a year. It wasn't so much her family that she missed, they came by often enough to visit her and Roku, but it was the way of living she had become accustomed to, making dinner with Suki as Kya and Roku played nearby, having Sokka and their father nearby to be the father figures in her daughters life... But she had moved here for Roku, she kept telling herself. She had uprooted her life so that her daughter, the illegitimate Princess of the Fire Nation, could learn firebending from non-other than the Avatar himself. Who could be a better teacher than the master of all four elements?

_"Shouldn't this be the job for someone else... Someone who would take pride out of it?"_ Aang had asked her. She knew who he spoke of. And it was true, Zuko would have taken great pride in teaching their eight-year-old to firebend, just as she would have if Roku had been a waterbender. But Zuko had taught Aang, so in a way, Zuko was teaching Roku too, right? Aang hadn't been convinced with her deduction, but he didn't argue.

Katara tucked strands of hair behind her ear as she made her way towards a familiar tea shop. She had managed to stay under the radar for the past year, keeping away from this area of the city, but with Roku exploring the city becoming more of a common occurrence, she could no longer risk it. Iroh would know who Roku was the moment he saw her. Not to mention how awful it felt hiding from a friend.

She entered the Jasmine Dragon slowly. She took a moment to look around the shop, noticing only two customers, sipping their tea while having a close conversation, and a server behind the counter. The server, a boy of seventeen or so, looked up. He smiled, but before he could say anything, Katara asked to see Iroh. With a quick nod, the boy motioned for her to follow him, and he lead her into one of the back rooms.

"He's on a break right now, but he told me if you were ever to come, I shouldn't hesitate to show you to him."

"He's been expecting me?" Katara asked. The boy shrugged, and opened a door, and allowed her to step into the room before shutting it. Katara looked at the table in the middle of the room, where Iroh was sitting drinking his tea.

"Hello, Katara." Iroh smiled. "I was wondering when you were going to come and see me."

"You knew I was here?" Katara sighed.

"Of course! You can never hide from an old friend!" Iroh's grin remained. "Please, come have some tea!"

"Oh, uh, sure." Katara smiled. "But I'm really just here to talk to you..."

"You want to tell me about your daughter, don't you?" Iroh looked over his cup as he sipped from it.

"How do you do that?" Katara asked, partially shocked.

"It's easy to pick you two out in the market when you both wear blue in a sea of green." he said. "And it's evident that motherhood has not been kind to you." Katara looked at the floor. She didn't look as pulled together as she did when she was fourteen, she knew that. But she had hoped that the circles under her eyes and the often messy hair wasn't as obvious to others as it was in the mirror.

"What else do you know?" she said.

"I know she is the daughter of Zuko." Katara could not stop her jaw from dropping a little. "Royal blood runs deep, and it is easy to spot when you know what to look for."

"I don't know what to say..." Katara was astounded, and at the same time terrified.

"You can tell me why you're keeping her a secret from Zuko." Iroh's happy mood finally disappeared as he said those words.

"You wouldn't understand." Katara frowned. But she could tell the old man wasn't buying it. "What if she had turned out to be a waterbender? What if these Ozai Loyalists had the option of targeting her? What if the Fire Nation didn't want me as their Fire Lady or whatever..."

"All of those 'what ifs' should have been something you solved together." Iroh said softly. "My nephew may be many things, but when it comes to family, the ones he loves, he will stop at nothing to protect them."

"I know... but-"

"What did you name her?" Iroh cut her off.

"Uh, Roku. I named her Roku."

"I see. Honoring his bloodline indirectly." Iroh nodded.

"I thought it was pretty smart." Katara grumbled.

"It was."

"So?" Katara's frown deepened.

"So..." Iroh repeated.

"Are you going to tell Zuko?"

"No." he said, taking another sip of tea. "That is your place, not mine."

"Oh, thank you..."

"I'm not agreeing with you hiding this from him. But I will not interfere."

"How refreshing." Katara said under her breath.

"Although, you might want to prepare yourself." Iroh said.

"For what?" Katara's right eyebrow shot up, starting to worry.

"My nephew has decided to visit today." Iroh shot her a small smile as the door opened slowly and a familiar, but older looking figure stepped inside.

"Zuko..." Katara mumbled.

* * *

Halfway across the world, a group of bandits were traveling through the densely wooded area outside the Fire Nation town of Kaolin. The leader, a muscled man named Jinto, had made a living of stealing from travelers then selling their items for money. The rest of the group consisted of a rather attractive woman named Sun, and two younger men name Joh and Karu. They had been down on their luck lately, due to the Loyalist attacks, traveling had been cut down. Leaving the group with fewer and fewer victims to scam and steal from. Jinto had been looking for something that would give them a leg up on the situation, something that many thieving con-artists didn't have. He just didn't know what that was yet.

They stopped for a moment, to rest. Jinto had barely taken out his canteen when he heard shouting over in a nearby clearing. He signaled for the others to stay quiet, and pointed towards the sound. The clearing held a surprise none of them were expecting.

A boy, in a school uniform, firebending angrily at an already dead tree. He shouted again, as he kicked a burst of flame towards the tree. For a boy his age, he was good. And judging by his private school uniform, he came from a rich family. Jinto looked at Sun, who gave him a quick nod before entering the clearing.

"Are you alright, young man?" she asked, in a sickening sweet voice. She positioned her body to look timid, to throw the boy off. He turned quickly, his fists raised, ready to strike. His eyes were red, probably from crying, and he looked off balance.

"What do you want?" he asked, raising his voice to cover his obvious fear.

"My husband and I were walking by and heard you shouting. What are you doing this far away from town?" she was a good actress, seeming actually concerned for him.

"I'm running away." he said, lowering his hands.

"Your mother must be awfully worried about you, don't you know you could get hurt out here with all the Loyalist attacks?"

"My mother doesn't care. And aren't you worried about the same thing?" his eyes squinted for a moment.

"Smart kid." Jinto whispered to Joh behind the bushes.

"My husband and I have been travelers for some time, we know how to take care of ourselves. But a boy as little as you couldn't possibly..."

"I'm nine." he growled. "I'm not little. And I'm _not _going back home."

"Alright." Sun nodded. "We are going to set up camp nearby. If you want, you can join us for a meal. It's not much, but it will be better than nothing." She noticed a small pack near a rock, accompanied by a fancy looking sword inside it's sheath.

"No thank you." he said after a second.

"Suit yourself, boy." Sun smiled.

"My name is Kei." he said.

"I am Sun. Good bye, Kei." Sun did the traditional Fire Nation salute, and disappeared out of the clearing.

As she walked past Jinto and the others, her kind smile disappeared, being replaced with a dark smirk.

"What are you doing?" Jinto asked, catching up to her.

"Please, Jinto, he's a nine year old boy. He won't be able to resist a warm meal much longer."

"Are we going to hold him for ransom?" Karu asked.

"I've been thinking about that." Jinto mumbled.

"The boy will be more useful as an ally." Sun sighed, finding a place to set up camp for the night.

"Huh?" Jinto looked at his 'wife'.

"He's a firebender. Think of how many of our heists would have been more successful if we had him on our side."

"But he's just a kid." Joh mumbled. Sun turned to him, her shoulder length black hair brushing him in the face.

"Exactly. His mind is still fragile, and we have the ability to mold it into something completely different. We just have to gain his trust first. That means best behavior from all of you. If we want this runaway, Kei, to join us, we also have to make sure no one comes looking for him."

"But what if he doesn't come tonight?" Jinto folded his arms across his chest.

"He will. I could see he was hungry." Sun said. "We just need to wait."

* * *

"Zuko..." Katara looked up at him. He wasn't wearing the complete, rather intimidating, Fire Lord get up. It was much closer to a more formalized version of the outfit he wore when he had joined their group when he was sixteen. She swallowed as she met his eyes.

"Katara?" he said. He was just as surprised to see her.

"I'm so sorry, I have to go." Katara stood. She maneuvered herself around him, backing away into the hallway when he took a step toward her. She quickened her pace to a light run, only to hear his footsteps quicken behind her. She managed to make it outside before he called out to her.

"Katara, wait!" Zuko shouted. She looked back. Zuko's guards were beginning to follow him. She couldn't go home, Roku was there. Making a split second decision, she stopped and turned. He nearly crashed into her, and stood only a foot away. She looked right up at him, her blue eyes searching his face.

"What?" she asked. By now a crowd was forming around them, probably curious about why a Water Tribe girl was making the Fire Lord chase her.

"Can't we just... talk?" Zuko asked. He looked so vulnerable, just as he had on that cliff years ago.

This was it. This was the day her father had been warning her about. That day when all her secret keeping was going to bite her in the butt. This had to be it. She inhaled sharply. "Fine." was all she said. "Come to my house, here in Ba Sing Se, in an hour." Roku would be training with Aang by then, giving them privacy. "Ask your Uncle for directions."

"Thank you." Zuko nodded. He seemed a little surprised by the fact that she lived in Ba Sing Se, but didn't question it. "I'll be there." Katara nodded once, turning away from him.

She now had the walk home to figure out what she was going to say, and how she was going to break it to him that he was a father.

* * *

An hour went by far too quickly. The knock on her door came too soon. She had barely cleaned up. She opened the door, and there he was. She managed to get a better look at him now. He looked older, she knew he was twenty-seven, but he looked tired, worn down. The circles under his eyes were dark, almost a gray color. His top knot had been taken down, leaving his shaggy hair to fall in it's usual way. It was a little longer than usual, but not by much.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked, as he entered, leaving his guards outside the door. "I've made some tea."

"Uh, sure." Zuko said, sitting down at the table. "You have nice home. What made you move to Ba Sing Se?"

"My priorities changed." she said simply, pouring two cups of steaming tea.

"What's this?" she heard Zuko say. She turned to see him holding the doll that she had wasted too many hours of her life looking for. She almost dropped the pot, and without thinking she said "I'm going to kill her."

"Her?" Zuko's good eye widened. He looked at the doll. "Oh I get it."

"You do?" Katara mumbled, her heart dropping into her stomach.

"I guess congratulations are in order. I didn't know you had found someone..." he stood, straightening his clothes.

"Zuko, stop." Katara sighed. He thought she was married. As if this visit wasn't awkward enough.

"No, it's fine... Your priorities changed, I understand..." He turned away from her.

"Zuko, I'm not married." He stopped, turning back to her.

"But..." he motioned towards the doll.

"I do have a daughter. But I'm raising her without her father." Katara mumbled.

"Where is he? Her father?" he looked heartbroken.

"Here." she said, looking at him. His expression told her he still didn't understand.

"That's why you moved to Ba Sing Se?" he asked.

"No. Zuko, her father is right here." Katara walked up to him, poking him in the chest. She hadn't touched him in so many years. The feeling of him under her fingers sent a familiar shiver through her body. He was looking at her like she had grown another head. _Here it comes..._ she thought.

"What... That's not possible, right?" Zuko said softly.

"She just turned eight this summer, you do the math."

"Are you joking, Katara!" he shouted suddenly. She jumped a little. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"I couldn't! I was going to, but then you asked me to marry you!" she yelled.

"Are you blaming me now? I loved you! That's what people do when they love each other!" Zuko through up his hands. The front door opened, and one of Zuko's guards poked his head in. Both Zuko and Katara whirled on him and shouted, in unison, "NOT NOW!" The guard promptly shut the door.

"I didn't want to be the woman who brought down the Royal Family! If Roku had been a waterbender... Who knows what would have happened!"

"You named our daughter Roku?" his features softened for a moment, then twisted into a glare. "Are you saying you knew you were pregnant when you left me?"

"Yes, I knew." Katara frowned. She was still getting used to the fact that Zuko had just used the term '_our daughter_'. It had always just be _her_ daughter.

"Don't you think that whole waterbending this was something we should've figured out together?"

"Believe it or not, you're not the first person to say that."

"So, is she a waterbender?" Zuko asked sourly.

"No. She's a firebender. Just like you." Katara looked away.

"And you still couldn't tell me..." he said, exasperated.

"I have my reasons, Zuko." Katara growled.

"Where is she?" he asked, brow furrowed.

"She's training with Aang." Katara answered, then realized he was probably going to go find her. Just as she thought, he spun on his heel, and walked out the front door. "Zuko, no!"

"What could you possibly say that would stop me from seeing her?" he snapped.

"I don't want you to enter her life just to leave it!" she screamed, tears in her eyes.

"What?" Zuko asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"If you want to be part of her life, you need to promise me that these Loyalist won't target her to get at you. You have to promise me that you're not going to die! I couldn—She can't loose you too." She wiped her face the the heel of her hand. "Can you promise she'll be safe? Can you promise that you'll always be there? Can you?"

He looked at her for a long moment. His stoic gaze didn't leave her. She was right, in a way. Now would be a terrible time to introduce his sole heir to the Fire Nation throne. With all the attempts on his life he had to deal with, the death threats, and the growing Loyalist attacks that were tearing his nation in two, her life would be in just as much danger. But he couldn't just leave now... He wanted to know her... He wanted them to be a family. But again, it appeared as if his heart would have to wait. He could die tomorrow for all he knew, and it wasn't fair to put an eight year old through that. He looked away from Katara.

"No." he frowned. "I can't."

Katara's shoulders fell. "I know you can't." she walked right up to him, taking his face in her hands. His skin was so warm, it always had been. Just like Roku's. Her cool fingers brushed against his scar, and his head leaned into her hand. Their argument seemed to melt around them. They had missed one another far too much, but neither of them spoke. She had loved him too, and part of her still did. But so many things had be figured out before they could be the family that they both secretly wanted. "Here, I want you to hold onto this for me." she removed something from her dress pocket. She pressed the object into Zuko's palm. "Maybe someday, you can give it back."

Zuko looked at his hand, and saw the necklace he had spent hours carving for her. The pattern was a little lopsided, from inexperience. But overall, he had been proud of it.

"Someday, I hope you'll give it back to me, the right way." Katara removed her hand from his face.

"I _can_ promise that." Zuko mumbled, putting the necklace in his pocket.

"Do you want to meet her?" Katara asked.

"But..."

"Not as her father, but as a friend." Katara said. "I can't send you away without even seeing her."

"I'd like that." Zuko smiled sadly.

"Come on. Aang trains her at Toph's Metal Bending Academy after hours." Katara grabbed his hand and lead the way.

"What...uh... What does she look like?" Zuko asked shyly.

"You'll see." Katara smiled. His hands were sweating in hers. She could feel his fast heartbeat in his grip. She remembered laying against his chest on those summer nights, just listening to his heart. It was like all those feelings she had repressed, called a young infatuation, weren't so little as she had thought. But he would leave her again in a matter of hours. Not forever, but it already felt like a last goodbye. And it was a eery feeling.

* * *

As the sun began to set, Kei heard a loud grumble from his stomach. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them. His short hair had begun to flop over in front of his eyes, so he brushed them aside. His mother would normally be calling him down for dinner by now. And he'd be sitting at the table, silent, as his two much older sisters, Luli and Suyin, told their mother about their day. Of course, with Luli's wedding coming up, his mother probably would've probably forgotten to make him dinner, again. He glared into the fire he had made. If his father hadn't been killed in a Loyalist attack, his mother wouldn't treat him like this. Admiral Zhan was a great man, who viewed his son as a miracle, given to him and his wife after they thought she could no longer bear children. His mother, however, viewed him as a nuisance, a thorn in her side. That's why he had run away.

His stomach growled again, even louder. He could smell the food from that woman's camp. It smelled too good to ignore. Slowly, and wearily, he stood, grabbing his pack and his father's sword he had stolen from his mother's room. He made his way to the camp he had been invited to. Four people gathered around a fire, Sun among them. The largest of the men, who had an oily looking ponytail, nudged her when he noticed Kei. She turned, a smile on her face.

"Hello Kei! So glad you've chosen to join us! Please, come sit down!" Sun patted the ground beside her. Once he had settled next to her, she pointed to the large man the oily ponytail. "This is my husband, Jinto. And these are our two friends, Joh and Karu."

"Hello." Kei bowed his head.

"Where you from kid? Kaolin?" Jinto asked.

"No, I'm from the Capital." Kei answered.

"The Capital? That's at least three days away from here!" Joh said.

"I know." Kei looked at the ground.

"Leave the boy alone, Joh. He's obviously tired and hungry." Sun said, winking at Joh before Kei could see. "Kei, would you like to join us on our travels? I could never live with myself if I left such a handsome boy in the woods alone during such a dangerous time."

"I guess so... You seem really nice." Kei shrugged.

Sun smirked at Jinto. He had fallen right into the palm of their hands, and he had no idea. "What do you think, Jinto? Do you think Kei could join us?"

"I don't see why not, you seem like a smart kid." Jinto did his best fake smile.

"Thank you." Kei smiled.

"Here's some rice, sweetheart." Sun handed Kei a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

* * *

Zuko and Katara stood to the side while Roku finished training with Aang. He was watching her with what looked like amazement.

"She looks..." he began.

"Just like her father." Katara finished.

"I-" he mumbled. "I can't believe it..."

"Neither could I. It's like all she got from me was my hair color." Katara sighed. "She's stubborn, hot headed, determined, and ambitious..."

Next to her, Zuko cringed, hoping the list of not-so-attractive traits would end soon.

"But she's also gentle, compassionate, kind, and selfless." Katara smiled. "Just like her father."

"She's pretty good..." Zuko said, watching her train.

"Yeah, well, her teacher had a pretty good master." she said, catching a quick smile on Zuko's face.

"Is that why you moved here? So Aang could teach her?" Zuko asked.

"Partially." Katara said.

"Uh-oh." Zuko frowned at her tone.

"Firebenders aren't exactly accepted by South Pole children. Especially ever since she punched Harook." Katara rolled her eyes.

"She punched someone?" Zuko laughed.

"Well, she is our daughter." There is was again. _Our daughter. _That was going to take some getting used to. "Punching Harook almost became a daily occurrence."

"She certainly has fire in her blood." Zuko smiled.

"Mommy!" Roku shouted, coming bounding over to them. Aang followed behind her. "Mommy did you see me!"

"I did, baby! You're getting really good!" Katara bent over, wiping a speck of soot off her face. Roku batted her hand away. "Roku, I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Fir—This is Zuko."

Zuko got on his knees, and put out his hand. Roku shook it.

"Hey Roku." Zuko said, unsure of what else to say.

"Hi." Roku smiled, looking at him. Her head leaned forward, as if to be inspecting him. "You look like me." she said.

"I do?" Zuko asked, pretending not to know what she meant.

"Uh huh." she nodded. She lifted her hand, and placed it on Zuko's scar. Her childhood curiosity had gotten the better of her. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

He looked into her matching golden eyes. Her mouth was open a little, showing one of her front teeth still growing in. How was he supposed to leave this behind? He was happier in this moment than he had been in the past eight years.

"No. It doesn't hurt anymore." Zuko said, placing his hand over hers. She tilted her head a little.

"That's good." she smiled, removing her hand.

"Fire Lord Zuko," a guard behind said. Zuko turned. "A messenger hawk just arrived. The Capital has been attacked by Loyalists. We need to go."

"You're leaving?" Roku asked softly.

"I'm afraid so. But you know what, I would like you to hold onto something for me." Zuko reached into his pocket. "Don't let it leave your sight until the next time you see me, okay?" He handed her the necklace Katara had given back to him. "It's very important."

"Okay." Roku nodded. Zuko spun his finger, and she turned around so he could put the necklace on her. He tied it across her neck. "Mommy look!"

"I see it!" Katara smiled. Aang put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey, Roku, want to find Luan?" Aang asked, knowing his son would be looking for his playmate.

"Yeah." She looked at Aang. She looked back a Zuko. She unexpectedly wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling into his shoulder. Zuko's arms went instinctively around her. He held her, noticing she smelled just like Katara. "It was nice to meet you." She let him go.

"You too Roku." Zuko smiled, as she walked away with Aang. He stood and looked at Katara. "Goodbye."

"Zuko..." Katara mumbled, grabbing him into a hug. "You need to stay safe, alright?"

"I will." he said. "I still love you..."

"I never stopped." Katara said into his shirt. He let go of her and kissed her forehead before being lead off by his guards. "Good bye." she said as he disappeared. And with that, her world seemed to get a little darker.

* * *

**A/N:**_I've always planned to have Iroh know everything before Katara could tell him. He totally would know everything. The next chapter skips ahead a bit, again, until we get until the right year for the main story. Everything was nearly explained here. I was going to go into Aang and Toph's kids, but I felt it would take away from the Zutaraness. And Kei, we'll see more of him later. He's kind of a big deal. haha Leave a review to tell me how you liked the chapter! :D Sappy as all hell, I know. But hopefully it wasn't too bad._


	5. Oversight of a Child

**A/N:**_ Another nice long chapter for you! Enjoy! And please review! Please! I got three reviews last chapter... It's not like I don't know you're there. hahaha :) We get more Kei, hopefully you find him an interesting character. Because he's actually one of my favorite OCs._

* * *

"Oversight of a Child"

_6 Years Later_

Iroh sighed from behind the counter of the Jasmine Dragon. His server was late once again. He knew the girl had other duties to attend to, school and training, but she had made the commitment to work for him too. As he readied another pot of tea for afternoon customers, he heard heavy breaths from behind him.

"I'm here, Iroh!" she said between gasps. He turned to face his employee. Her long side braid was falling apart, and there was a twig sticking out of the top. Her green uniform had mud splashed up the side, probably from her run over here. He raised his eyebrow, a little concerned.

"Roku, please, call me Uncle Iroh. Even 'Uncle' is fine." he said. "Go clean up out back quickly..."

"Oh, oops..." Roku pulled the twig out of her hair. "Don't know how that got there..." she grumbled as she disappeared into the back. Iroh smiled. The little girl he had met several years ago had become a beautiful young woman. Her straight brown hair reached the middle of her back, and her golden eyes were clearly from her Royal blood, as were her long eyelashes. She resembled his nephew even more now than she did as a child. With the resemblance came some of his traits, both undesirable and desirable alike. She did end up inheriting a better sense of humor, thank goodness.

"_Uncle_ Iroh..." she said, sliding behind the counter, tying her undone braid into a half ponytail, leaving most of her hair to flow past her shoulders. "Looks like we're not very busy today..." She motioned to the empty tea shop.

"With all the news on the Civil War in the Fire Nation, many people are staying home in fear that the Earth Kingdom will be attacked next. Several of the colonies have already had riots, forcing many of their citizens to leave. This is a time of great fear, Roku. We are lucky to be living in such a well maintained city." Iroh said, saddened.

"Aren't you from the Fire Nation?" Roku asked.

"Yes. And I have family there that I'm deeply worried about." he mumbled. "But I can't go to them and they can't come to me..."

"I knew they weren't letting anyone out of the Fire Nation, but they're not letting people in either?" Roku wrapped her fingers around her necklace.

"They stopped allowing people in over a month ago." Iroh said softly.

"I'm sure he's okay." Roku put a hand on Iroh's back. "The Fire Lord is doing everything he can, I'm sure."

"Yes. He is." Iroh frowned.

"Oh! Look a customer!" Roku said, throwing on her apron. Iroh looked up to see a man and woman holding hands. They sat at a corner table, looking into each others eyes. If only everyone's life could be that simple.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you... My mom and I are going down to the South Pole for a week or so. We were planning on leaving tonight with Aang and his family... Is it alright?" Roku asked, tying her apron behind her neck.

"I don't see why not. I'll just have Hao cover you. You will have to make it up to him though." Iroh nodded.

"Thank you!" she grinned, kissing Iroh on the cheek, before hurrying over to the couple in the corner.

* * *

Kei felt Jinto's presence to his right. The much larger man patted him roughly on the shoulder, making his knees buckle.

"Good job, kid. Seems like you know what you're doing." Jinto's hot sour breath blasted Kei in the face. "Get ready to do your thing." He disappeared behind him.

"My thing. Right." Kei sighed. He looked over the edge of the dried up stream bed he and Jinto hid behind. There was a small camp before them, a family of three gathered around the fire. A father, a mother, and a young son no older than ten. They were smiling over their bowls of stew. Kei had found this next 'target' as his Right of Passage into Jinto's group, who he so proudly name the Fire Bandits. Jinto was many things, but creative was not one of them. This night wasn't very different from most heists they pulled. Joh, Karu, Sun and Jinto would take up spots surrounding the camp, while Kei entered with his firebending, startling the targets. The only difference tonight was that Kei got to locate the target.

Kei started breathing, allowing a warm sensation fill his stomach, removing all nervousness that once took home there. Once the heat was strong enough, he faced the camp. The didn't suspect a thing. Weren't they afraid of Loyalists? These days, more and more innocent lives were taken in their attacks, ever since that bombing in the Capital six years ago. If you didn't join them, you died. At least Jinto allowed survivors.

As he watched the mother squeeze her sons shoulder with a laugh, he felt a pang of regret. They didn't deserve this. But Sun had informed them they were almost out of money, and from the gold trim on this family's red robes, they had plenty to spare. Especially in this hard time, every copper piece counted. Be it stolen or fairly earned.

The warmth in his stomach had slowly risen to his chest. He was ready to prove himself to Jinto and the others. Whatever that took.

He emerged from the darkness of the forest around them, coming into the light of their fire. The mother gasped, and grabbed her son. The father stood, as if to protect them. Kei stopped several feet in front of them. He saw the man going for his dagger beneath his robe. Kei lit a fire in his palm, the shadows of the new flame playing across his thin face.

"Loyalists..." the man mumbled, no longer going for his dagger.

"Try again." Kei said darkly, in a voice that even made him want to run and hide. Jinto and Sun emerged from the East and West, while Joh and Karu became visible from the south of where Kei stood.

* * *

Roku had flown on Appa before. Aang used to take her and his son, Luan, up many times. Just a short trip around Ba Sing Se. But she had never slept on the bison's saddle. She had just managed to get her eyes closed when the sting of smoke filled her nostrils. She heard her mother cough besides her. She sat up, and saw Luan and his little sister Lin in a corner of the saddle, hugging their father.

"Mom..." Roku mumbled.

"It's okay, Roku." Katara smiled. Even at the rather young age of 31, Katara looked tired and worn. Like she hadn't slept in months. "Go back to sleep."

"Where are we?" Roku asked, looking over the edge of Appa's saddle. The bison was descending towards a small village that was, for the most part, on fire. People were scurrying around, throwing water at their homes. "What's happening?"

"It looks like the colony of Nan Hu was attacked." Aang answered softly. "We're going to help them."

Appa landed far enough away from the town to stay safe. Aang and Katara hurriedly hopped off the animal, taking off towards the town. Toph reluctantly stayed with Luan and Lin. Aang was more worried about her delicate condition, since the Earthbender was several months pregnant.

"Mom, let me come with you!" Roku called.

"No, Roku, you can't help these people." Katara turned to her daughter, putting up her hand for her to stay put.

"Why?" Roku shouted.

"Because you're a firebender." Katara answered hotly. Roku winced, and shoulders fell. While her mother was correct, a firebender couldn't help with the current situation, the tone her mother had used sounded disgusted and mad. Like being a firebender was something to be ashamed of.

"Roku, she probably didn't mean..." Toph began. Twelve year old Luan and six year old Lin sitting besides her.

"No, it's fine." Roku frowned, hugging her knees to her chest.

"We'll be back on track in no time." Toph assured them.

"Who did this?" Roku asked.

"Loyalists." Toph answered. "They started attacking colonies in the Earth Kingdom a few days ago."

"Dad isn't coming to the South Pole is he, mom?" Luan asked. His black hair and green eyes reflecting the dying flames off in the distance.

"No, buddy, I don't think so." Toph sighed.

"It must be hard, being the wife of the Avatar..." Roku mumbled.

"It wouldn't be as hard if he didn't keep knocking me up with airbenders. This one better earthbend or I'll be one unhappy lady!" Toph grumbled, a hand on her round abdomen.

Roku smiled sadly. Not that the thought had never crossed her mind, but it was a little more evident now that maybe her mother wasn't so accepting of her firebending daughter. Maybe she had been a little upset that Roku wasn't a waterbender like her. It certainly gave the young teenager something to think about as she watched her mother and Aang save the town of Nan Hu.

* * *

Once they had gathered everything of value, Kei turned to leave the campsite as quickly as possible. He never liked raids, and was often the first to leave. But Jinto's large hand encircled his entire wrist, pulling Kei back in a jolt.

"But we're done..." Kei mumbled. He looked at the family they had just terrified, the boy looked at him angrily.

"No, not yet. You still have one test to pass, kid." a wicked smile came to Jinto's blocky features. He threw Kei towards where the father had been tied up. He stumbled, landing on his knees in front of the man. "Kill him." Jinto said.

"NO!" the mother screamed, only to be kicked by Sun.

Kei felt himself become white as a ghost. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, getting louder and louder. He didn't stand, just turned to look at Jinto. "You never said..."

"All of us have killed someone, kiddo. Do it." Jinto scowled.

"I can't..." Kei shook his head, standing on wobbly knees. He felt a muscled arm find its way around his throat, and Joh's voice in his ear.

"You better listen to him..." Kei could hear his smile in his voice. Joh had never been his biggest fan, and now he was delighted that Jinto was mad at him.

"I said no." Kei choked.

"You dare to disobey me? My own son?" Jinto's eyes narrowed. Kei stared at him in disbelief. Is that what Jinto saw him as? His son?

"I am not your son. I am the son of Admiral Zhan and his wife Mai Lin!" Kei fought against Joh, but his scrawny body was not trouble for the burly man to contain.

"That's it. I'm sick of your outbursts! I'll show you what happens when you disobey me!" Jinto withdrew his sword, the sword he had taken from Kei when he was boy. His father's sword, with his family named inscribed on the blade. Jinto grabbed his right wrist and straightened the arm. No matter how hard Kei fought, both the men holding him were too strong. He kicked flame into the air, but it dissipated quickly due to his lack of air. He felt the cold blade of the sword against the inside of his wrist and the pain of the tip puncturing his skin. In the madness of agony, Kei felt Jinto drag the blade to the outside of his forearm to the tip of his elbow. He felt the warmth of his own blood covering his arm, dripping onto the forest floor. Joh pushed him away, letting him fall to his knees again. Kei clutched his arm to his body, the curved cut wasn't bleeding enough to be life threatening, not yet at least. Jinto grabbed his collar, lifting him to his face.

"You refuse an order like that again, I'll cut your whole arm off." he shouted. "Now do it, or I'll leave you here to bleed to death!"

"How do you suggest I kill him without a weapon?" Kei snarled. At such a close proximity to Jinto, he was worried Jinto might bite him.

"You have a talented weapon, kid. Use it."

"You want me to burn him to death?" Kei's eyes widened.

"Anything less and I'd be disappointed. Now do it!" Jinto lifted him to his feet, and faced him towards the man. Kei looked around the camp, his eyes begging for help. But Sun had a smile on her face so broad it was almost unnatural. And Karu was certainly going to be no help. His arm continued dripping blood into his already soaked shirt. He looked down at the man he was being forced to murder. He looked oddly calm, as if he had accepted his fate. Tears stung Kei's eyes, as he lifted his hands, balling them into fists.

"I am so sorry..." Kei whispered.

"Dad!" the boy shouted behind them.

"Do it coward!" Joh hissed.

With everything he had, he punched the air, an orange and yellow burst of flame engulfed the innocent man. Kei crumpled to the ground, covering his ears with his hands as the mans screams echoed through out the forest. His wife and son's screams mixed with them, forming a harmony that would haunt Kei every night for years to come. He focused on the feeling of the blood trickling down his arm, the sting of the cut his father's sword had left. The boy was screaming threats at him, until Sun managed to knock him and his mother out. Kei felt the heat of the flames die down, and the scent of burning flesh fill his nostrils. He didn't even try holding back the contents of his stomach right before everything became black. The last thing he heard was Jinto's laugh.

* * *

Roku watched Aang and Appa fly off towards the Fire Nation. He would be back in a week or so to bring them all back to Ba Sing Se. He had to go see if he could help the torn nation in any way, it was his job after all. Toph wasn't happy about being left in the South Pole with just their children, but she promised her husband she would manage.

The fourteen year old firebender had no idea how bad it had gotten in the Fire Nation. She had heard Iroh speak of it, but she had always thought he was overreacting. She found herself fiddling with the necklace that man had given her years ago. His face terribly scared, causing him to appear rather unapproachable. She remembered how he smelt like a fire that had just been put out and She hoped he was alright, who ever he was.

"Roku, is that you?" she heard someone say behind her. She whirled around to where her mother and Toph were talking to those who had come to greet them. A familiar bearded face was smiling at her.

"Papa!" Roku smiled, running to her grandfather. Hakoda wrapped his arms around her tightly. He smelled the same way he had when she was twelve.

"Look at how much you've grown!" Hakoda grinned. "Has it only been two years?"

"Almost three. Her fifteenth birthday is tomorrow." Katara said besides them. Roku was a little surprised. Had she really forgotten that her own birthday was tomorrow?

"You're just as beautiful as your mother when she was your age!" Hakoda put his hands on Roku's shoulders, in order to get a better look at her. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I like what you've done with your hair."

"Really?" Roku mumbled, gathering it in her hands. She had been wearing it only half up for the trip, mainly because she liked the feeling of her hair being controlled by the wind. "I didn't think it was anything special..."

"Hey!" another male voice shouted. "Doesn't your favorite Uncle get a hug?"

Roku's smile grew as Sokka approached them. He had finally managed to maintain a beard like most Water Tribe men, after years of it not growing properly. His wife, Suki, and their four children stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around her Uncle, then her Aunt.

"You've grown up so much!" Suki smiled. She held their youngest, five year old Atka, the only son Sokka had after three girls. Roku smiled at the compliment. She made eye contact with her cousin Kya, and found herself in an extremely tight embrace.

"I missed you, Roku!" Kya said. Roku found herself unable to breath against Kya's fur lined parka, and pushed her cousin back, gasping for air. "Oh, sorry." Kya giggled.

"It's alright, you're just a little stronger than I remember." Roku said.

"Probably because my mom is training me like a Kyoshi Warrior..." Kay shrugged as if it was nothing. "You know, while Yue and Niu train in Waterbending and all." she spoke of her two younger sisters, Yue, ten, and Niu, seven. Roku was about to congratulate her best friend when her mother grumbled something to her Uncle.

"How did you end up with all the waterbenders?" Katara asked.

"Well, you are my sister, so it was bound to happen." Sokka stroked his beard, even though it was far to close to his face to be stroke-able. "It's only two out of four. Maybe you'll get lucky someday."

"Oh, right. I'll just go find Zu-" Katara caught herself, and glanced at Roku. Thankfully the teenager had turned her attention to her cousin and Luan, who had begun to go find something more interesting to do. Instead of finishing her sentence, she hit Sokka in the chest.

"I didn't say anything about Zuko..." Sokka croaked, rubbing where she had punched him.

"She's still pretty sensitive about it, snoozles." Toph grumbled besides him.

"No kidding." Sokka grumbled. He looked down at the earthbender's baby bump. "Since when were you pregnant?"

"Wow, you're smooth, you know that?" Toph frowned, punching him in the arm before following Katara. Sokka looked over at his wife, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. Propping Atka up on her hip before following them as well.

"I just can't catch a break today." Sokka sighed, looking at Hakoda. His father shrugged.

* * *

From the height of the flames in the throne room of the Royal Palace, Admiral Xian knew the Fire Lord was under a great amount of stress. He spotted Zuko pacing the floor on the level below his throne, his boots clacking against the black tile. The Admiral bowed in front of his leader, at the same time alerting Zuko to his presence. The high wall of fire died down a bit.

"Admiral Xian," Zuko mumbled. "Has there been an update from the colonies?"

"As far as they are aware, they had managed to capture more than half the Loyalists living in the colonies." Xian said confidently.

"But..." Zuko said.

"But..." Xian swallowed. "The Earth King wants all Fire Nation citizens to be forced to return to the Fire Nation, as a way to stop any Earth Kingdom people from getting hurt in 'our problems'." Zuko shouted in anger, the wall of fire growing once again.

"Doesn't he understand that it's even more dangerous here!" Zuko balled his fists. "I've already cut off my people from leaving, as a way to protect the other nations... But how am I supposed to force people who have called the colonies their home since before my own mother was even born, to come to one of the most dangerous places in the world!"

"I don't know sir..." Xian lowered his head.

"Have there been anymore attacks since the last one?" Zuko frowned.

"No large scale attacks, no." Xian said. "Just small ones. A man was burnt to death in front of his family in the woods near Rinji Lake. But they called them bandits, not Loyalists."

"Great. Now my people are mugging and robbing to survive."

"We all know this can't be easy, my lord..." Xian began when the doors to the throne room opened abruptly.

"Zuko!" the shadowed figure said, as it walked towards them. As he came into the light of the fire, Zuko's features went from worried to relieved.

"Aang, what are you doing here?" Zuko asked, walking past Xian.

"I've come to see if I can help... My family and I were on our way to the South Pole when Katara and I helped put out a fire in Nan Hu. I can't just sit back and watch any more."

"Aang, I told you..." Zuko growled.

"I know you said this was your problem!" Aang snapped. "But stop being an idiot and let me help! It's my job!"

Xian cringed. Did he just call the Fire Lord an idiot?

"Did you just call me an idiot?" Zuko stared at the younger man in confusion, as if reading the Admiral's mind.

"It's what you're being right now by refusing my help." Aang's brows furrowed.

"Fine." Zuko crossed his arms in front of his chest. "There is a meeting tonight. You can come and find out about what's going on."

"Thank you." Aang bowed his head.

"So you and Katara put out the fire in Nan Hu?" Zuko asked softly.

"Yes."

"How is she and..."

"They're fine. They're in the South Pole right now with Toph and my family." Aang's scowl softened.

"Good." Zuko said. "That's good."

"She misses you. Even if she doesn't say it, I can tell."

"I haven't seen her in almost seven years..." Zuko mumbled. "She stopped her letters months ago."

"You never responded to the last half of them..."

"Things got a little busy." Zuko frowned. A grumble came from Aang, and the airbender clutched his stomach.

"Heh, sorry. I haven't eaten anything is hours." Aang smiled sheepishly.

"Would you like to join me for lunch?" Zuko offered. "I can have Admiral Xian fill you in on everything."

"That would be great." Aang nodded.

"Admiral, would you mind if you joined the Avatar and I for a quick meal? You could fill him in on the events of these past few days." Zuko turned towards the older man.

"It would be an honor, Fire Lord Zuko." Xian bowed his head.

As Zuko led the way to the dining room, Aang couldn't help but notice how unhealthy the Fire Lord looked. His face was gaunt, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He appeared thinner than usual, even under his Fire Lord robes and shoulder piece. His skin even had a gray tint to it. It was clear to anyone who had known him as long as Aang had that he wasn't sleeping, and even eating, well. How could he when his nation was tearing itself apart?


	6. Drifting in the Foam

A/N:_ This took much longer than expected, since I was never really happy with it and just kept rewriting and tweaking the crap out of it. Lots of stuff happens here. A new character is introduced to, for comic relief in a way. I ended up listening to a Chinese cover of Iroh's Leaves From The Vine the entire time I wrote this... I'm still not 100% happy with parts of it._

_In other news, I'll be posting a prequel right after I finish posting this chapter. it's about Zuko and Katara's time together during the winter Roku was conceived. I felt like I could have spent so much more time on it, so I'm making it into a prequel. It's titled "Somebody That I Used to Know", go look for it shortly after this! :D_

* * *

"Drifting In The Foam"

Talking people into doing something was Kya's specialty. Roku had always scolded herself for falling for her cousin's ideas. Today was no different. Kya had easily convinced Luan and Yue that penguin sledding was a good way to celebrate Roku's fifteenth birthday, but that was because they were younger, only being twelve and ten. And now having arrived at the spot were all the otterpenguins gathered, Roku still wasn't excited.

The young firebender crossed her arms and huffed. She had been penguin sledding so many times when she lived here, that it was no longer that big a deal. Not to mention that she had become accustomed to the warmer weather of Ba Sing Se, and the once livable South Pole temperatures were far colder than she remembered. She could barely feel her nose anymore. She felt Luan shiver next to her. She looked down at the younger boy she had considered her best friend for the last six years. Despite the age difference, Roku was always able to count on the airbender when she needed someone. She also made sure Luan felt the same.

"Geez, it's so cold here." his teeth chattered. "How did you live like this?"

"I don't remember." Roku shrugged. "I guess it was because I didn't know anything else."

"You're a firebender, so at least you can heat yourself up, right?" Luan looked up at her.

"That's true, I guess." Roku nodded. She exhaled slowly, feeling heat spread through her body as a tongue of flame escaped her parted lips. It was only temporary, but it did help her feel a little better.

"Will you two stop standing around? Yue's already got one!" Kya shouted, surrounded by penguins hoping to snag her fish.

"Well, here goes." Luan smiled, heading towards the penguins, who immediately flocked toward him. Roku looked down at her own fish, and she let out a small sigh. She still didn't want to do this.

The group quickly made their way to the run, penguins in tow. Kya instructed Luan how to get on them and how to ride them, while Yue made sure her mittens were snug. Kya soon started counting down, and before Roku knew it, everyone else had already launched their penguins down the hill. Pushing forward, she followed quickly.

Balancing on a penguin was hard enough as it was. But Roku's pengiun seemed to have a mind of its own. She tugged on it to go right, it would go right for a moment only to then go left. She tugged on it to go left, it did the opposite. She growled. Of course she was the one to pick the faulty penguin. She felt a bump, then another. She looked down at the terrain only to see blue ice. The worst possible thing to ride a penguin on. She tried slowing her penguin by pulling back on it's feathers, but the stubborn thing only honked angrily. She put a hand out to try and grab something, to bring the stupid creature to a halt. It was a bad idea, but she was panicking. She felt a tug on her parka, then a sharp pain in her hand. She felt the penguin slip out from under her, and a loud crack followed by a terrible pain her her wrist told her she was no longer riding it. Somersaulting across run, she finally slowed to a stop, the back of her head crashing down onto the ice with a painful thunk.

Her shouting as she fell must have been enough for the others to hear, because she soon heard Luan's voice, followed by a gust of air besides her. She heard him say her name, but all she could do was moan.

"You're bleeding!" Luan said, kneeling beside her.

"What?" Roku asked grogily. She lifted her hand up, to find a torn mitten covered in blood. A good sized gash across her palm. "Oh great."

"Roku! Are you okay!" Kya shouted, sliding next to her cousin.

"No... My wrist hurts." Roku answered, not even trying to sit up. Someone, she wasn't sure who, picked up her arm, and a sharp throbbing pain in her wrist caused her to pull it away.

"I think you sprained it..." Yue mumbled. "We should go home so Aunt Katara can heal it."

"Yeah? And how do you suggest we get there?" Kya glared at her little sister.

"It's my wrist, guys, not my leg. I can still walk." Roku growled, finally sitting up, rubbing the back of her head with her uninjured hand.

"Oh, right." Kya smiled.

"If only Appa was here, he'd give us a lift." Luan mumbled, removing a bison whistle from his pocket. The one his dad had given him.

"Can we just go home?" Roku said, standing on wobbly legs. "I knew pengiun sledding was a bad idea..."

"Yeah yeah, let's go." Kya rolled her eyes, looping her arm under Roku's to help balance her. "I told my dad we'd be gone for the day... Hope this won't ruin anything."

"I already know about the surprise party." Roku said, staggering forward.

"You do?" Luan looked at her in disappointment.

"Of course I do. Lin isn't very good at keeping secrets." Roku said.

"Lin's an idiot." Luan frowned. He loved his little sister, but sometimes she really had no idea what was going on. Roku let out a soft laugh.

* * *

"Are you sure she's not coming back soon?" Katara asked, poking her head out of Suki and Sokka's igloo.

"Kya took her and Luan out for the day. I think penguin sledding was on the agenda." Sokka said, as he continued to unsuccessfully braid Niu's hair.

"I still don't think this surprise dinner for her birthday is going to be much of a surprise." Toph grumbled from her spot on one of the furs that lined the floor of Sokka and Suki's home.

"What? Why?" Katara went wide eyed. "Did someone say something to her?"

"Calm down, Katara. Geez." Toph rolled her eyes. "I think she's expecting it, that's all."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be happy about it either way." Suki placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. "She hasn't been home in years. I bet just being here was more than she could have hoped for."

"Niu, sit still!" Sokka grumbled besides Toph. "You want this ribbon in your hair for the party, don't you?" he looked down at the blue eyed seven year old. Her toothy grin looking back up at him.

"Yes, daddy." she nodded, causing Sokka to lose his grip on the braid again.

"You better grow up to be really manly, Atka, because I don't know how much more hair braiding I can take." Sokka looked at his son, who sat between him and Toph. He was too busy crashing his wooden polar bear dog into his wooden badger mole to take notice.

"Do you want me to do it?" Suki asked.

"No, this just became personal." Sokka grumbled, putting the ribbon between his teeth as he gathered Niu's auburn hair into his hands again.

Suki smiled, giving a quick shrug. She picked up her knife on the table and began cutting the vegetables Toph had managed to bring from Ba Sing Se.

"Does Roku still hate sea prunes?" Suki asked.

"Like Appa hates caves." Katara mumbled, sitting next to her sister-in-law at the table. She rested her head in her hands. "She loves Earth Kingdom food, especially anything spicy... Sometimes I wonder if we are even related..."

"Wow, she really is like Zuko!" Toph grinned. Katara whirled around to face her blind friend, glaring at the blind earthbender; knowing full well that she couldn't see her.

"Stop saying his name!" Katara growled. "Whether she's here or not, we have to get out of the habit!"

"So what, do we call him '_you know who_'." Toph frowned, clearly unhappy with the way she was being spoken to.

"No, I came up with a solution!" Sokka said loudly, finally tying his daughter's braid with a silky blue ribbon.

"Here it comes..." Suki sighed.

"We use an anagram! Instead of Fire Lord Zuko, we call him _I Dork Zero Flu_!" he said, clearly very proud of his idea.

"Sokka..." Katara grumbled.

"Or what about _Red If Lurk Zoo_?"

"Yeah, that wouldn't be weird at all!" Katara smiled sarcastically. "It would sound like a totally normal conversation!"

"You don't have to be mean about it, Katara." Sokka's shoulders dropped.

"I thought it was very cute." Suki said, giving her husband a sweet smile.

"Stop encouraging him. He hasn't gotten any better than he was seventeen years ago." Toph laughed.

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas!" Sokka grimaced.

"He doesn't need an anagram, Sokka." Katara said sternly. "Just please refer to him as her father. Nothing fancy, got it?"

"But I spent hours coming up with some." Sokka said softly.

"It's okay, daddy. I liked it!" Niu stood, giving her father another grin.

"Thanks sweetie." Sokka smiled. "Now go find your sisters."

"Thanks for doing my hair!" she said, hugging him, then rushing out of the igloo.

When Sokka turned back to face the igloo full of women, he found two of them staring at him, and a smile on the blind one's face.

"What now?" Sokka grumbled.

"_Now_ I get why you married him." Katara said slyly. Suki laughed.

"Oh!" Toph shouted, a hand flying to her belly.

"You okay!" Sokka jumped up, ready to do anything necessary.

"I'm fine, Sokka," Toph grumbled. "The baby just kicked, that's all."

"Really?" Katara's eye lit up, scooting closer to Toph. "Can I feel?"

"Sure, I guess. Give me your hand." Toph shrugged. She guided Katara's hand towards the movement. The waterbender looked on in wonder. It had been so long since she had been pregnant with Roku, and kind of missed having a baby around.

"Do you think you're ever going to have another one?" Toph asked. She could sense Katara's excitement from the sound of her voice, and fast heartbeat.

"Another what?" Katara played dumb.

"Another baby."

"Oh, I don't know." Katara removed her hand from Toph's abdomen. "I'm getting older now... not to mention the age difference for Roku..."

"Plus it's not like she can politely go up to Zuko and ask him to oh so kindly knock her up again." Sokka said. Toph punched him in the arm with everything she had, making the man almost fall over where he was sitting.

"You sometimes say the stupidest things." the earthbender glared.

"No, he's right." Katara mumbled. "Even if I wanted another baby, who would want _me_? I'm thirty-one, and almost every well off man my age is already married... And single mothers are usually the last on the list anyways."

"You still love him, don't you?" Suki asked, putting a hand on Katara's arm.

"I will never get used to the fact that you loved or still love Zuko... It's just too weird..." Sokka said.

"It's stupid, I know." Katara tried to smile, ignoring her brother. "I haven't seen him in six years, and even though he promised to propose to me again when everything in the Fire Nation was settled, I have this feeling like it's not going to happen anytime soon..."

"He promised to propose to you again?" Sokka asked, his right eyebrow shooting up towards his forehead.

"Oh, yeah." Katara nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks. "The day he met Roku... I sort of asked him to."

"You're still the hopeless romantic you've always been." Sokka sighed, shaking his head. "Why don't you just tell Roku, if you're trying to end up together anyway?"

"Because you don't know her as well as I do." Katara's mood changed abruptly, she was now in protective mode. "She'll go off looking for him just because she's angry at me. She has Zuko's temper and his tendency to never think things through. She will force her way to the palace and confront him even if it puts her life in danger! I can't let her do that!"

"What are you talking about?" a voice came from the entrance. Everyone looked over and felt their hearts drop into their stomach.

"Roku..." Katara mumbled. The now fifteen year old stood near the entrance of the igloo, Kya and Luan beside her. She looked horrified, her amber eyes wide, piercing her mothers blue ones.

"Mom, I don't understand..." Roku whispered, she sounded angry and lost, like she didn't know how she should be feeling. Everyone remained silent, waiting for Katara's answer, but she sat there, suddenly unable to speak.

* * *

Compared to what it used to be, the Royal Palace was practically abandoned. There were no servants skittering about, all the guards had been posted either at the palace walls, or Zuko's location. The food served wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't as good as it once was. All of these things, Aang could understand. They weren't getting any imports from the other nations right now, and a lot of their food was going to the army, or being stolen by the Loyalist factions. Zuko, unlike his father, could deal without all the luxuries usually custom to the Royal Family, so he knew how to cut back on less essential things.

Aang hadn't even been in the Fire Nation for two days, and an attempt had already been made on Zuko's life. If Aang hadn't noticed the awkwardly short guard wearing a uniform about two sizes to big, who knows how far that young teenage boy would've gotten with that poison dagger? If he hadn't of gotten up for some water in the middle of the night, no one might have stopped him. When he told Zuko about it the next morning, the Fire Lord assured him that he no longer sleeps well anyways, so he would've heard the boy coming.

"What do you mean you're not sleeping?" Aang asked. By now, he was as tall as his friend, and no longer had to look up to meet his gaze.

"I can't. It's just impossible." Zuko stated.

"Have you tried meditating?"

"When you find me a moment when there isn't an emergency or someone trying to kill me, you let me know." Zuko snapped.

"Okay, so that won't work..." Aang frowned. "Zuko, I'm just trying to help."

The tired man looked at him and sighed. "I know."

"Today is Roku's birthday." Aang said. Zuko's expression changed, looking happy for a moment. "She's fifteen."

"She's fifteen already? I guess that's right... I just haven't seen her in years..."

"She's a pretty good firebender too." Aang added. "I even taught her how to redirect lightening."

"I wish this wasn't such a mess." Zuko frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Things would be different. Katara might have... stayed. I just don't know how much more of this I can take alone."

"I remember when Katara mentioned breaking up to me. I didn't want to, but it was what she needed. I could see that. Lucky for me, Toph was there. Now I've got a wife, two great kids and one on the way." Aang smiled. "Still, it's a little weird to be talking about Katara with you..."

"Is it still that weird?" Zuko looked at the airbender. "I know you were a little uncomfortable with it when you stopped by the winter she was here, you weren't even with Toph yet... But does it still bother you?"

"No, not that bad anymore. Seeing Katara with Roku, how much she loves her, it made me realize that maybe it's not as weird as I made it. The only thing that still bothers me is that she still isn't happy. Not as happy as she could be."

"Neither of us are." Zuko mumbled. "My people are beginning to doubt me... I can't find a way to stop the Loyalist numbers from growing, I haven't produced an heir yet, and now the Earth King wants me to move the colonials into the Fire Nation..."

"Even if Roku became public knowledge, would she be considered a legitimate heir?" Aang asked. He wasn't really sure how things like that worked out in the Fire Nation.

"Only if I officially adopted her or married Katara." Zuko answered. "As long as she is my blood..." Aang nodded slowly.

"We should probably head to that tactical meeting now..." Aang said.

"Yeah, probably." Zuko sighed. "Aang?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for being here." Zuko smiled.

* * *

A million things were going through Roku's head. Her mother was staring at her, unable to mumble a word. Roku stared back as Suki managed to get everyone out of the igloo, knowing it was not their place to witness the confrontation.

"Mom!" Roku shouted, causing her mother to jump.

"Roku... I..." Katara stood, but didn't move closer to her daughter. "Your father... he..."

"You said he wanted nothing to do with me." Roku's eyes narrowed. "That's not true, is it?"

"He didn't even know you existed until you were eight!" Katara said nervously, realizing it might not have been the best thing to say.

"What?"

"Sweetheart, I was only trying to do what was best for you." Katara took a step towards her, but Roku took one step backwards.

"What did you mean I'd go marching into the palace," Roku almost whispered. "Looking for_ Zuko_?"

"Fire Lord Zuko is..."

"The Fire Lord!" Roku's eyes widened. "No no no..."

"Roku, listen to me." Katara managed to grab her daughter's wrist, holding her in place.

"Is Zuko my father?" she asked harshly. Katara looked away for a moment.

"Yes." she said softly. Roku tugged her wrist out of her mother's hand.

"I thought he was one of your friends! He gave me this..." Roku's hand flew up to her necklace, when a sharp pain in her other wrist made her wince. Suddenly it all made sense.

"Are you alright?" Katara asked.

"It's fine, I sprained it while penguin sledding." Roku glared. "Don't change the topic. Why didn't you tell me? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do..." Katara frowned. "But I also know you."

"What does that mean?"

"You're impulsive. And you will go stomping into the palace just because you're mad at me! I was just trying to protect you!"

"I can't believe you!" Roku shouted, storming out of the igloo, not giving her mother a chance to say another word.

"Roku, wait!" Katara chased her.

"Get away from me!" Roku turned, flame flying from her palm. It wasn't strong enough to reach Katara, just to stop her from coming any closer. She heard her mother yelp, jumping back from the disappearing fire. Roku needed to get out of the village. People were now staring at her, especially after firebending at her own mother. She felt like her whole body was on fire and she couldn't breathe. She picked up her pace to a run, lifting her parka over her head and tossing it into the snow. She didn't know where she was going, she just had to go somewhere that people couldn't see her.

* * *

For the past two hours, Kei had been following Sun around the marketplace in the ocean side village of Huohai. For once, they were actually spending their money on things they actually needed, like food and medical supplies. Not stupid little trinkets they didn't really have use, or room, for. Sun waved for him to come over to a small cart an old woman ran, an apothecary by the looks of her. The shop behind her seemed to belong to her as well. She must have been doing very good for herself.

"Unwrap your arm." Sun demanded. Kei looked down at his heavily bandaged arm, specks of dried blood visible through the fabric. Sun looked back at the old woman. "My poor son got his arm cut in a training accident, he's so clumsy. Then he decided to go ahead and sear it shut with firebending!"

"How awful..." the woman looked at him. He hated it when Sun and Jinto referred to him as their son. Kei rolled his eyes and continued to unwrap the bandages. As they fell to his feet, he couldn't help but wince as the wind blew against the raw skin. The woman examined it for a moment, before her eyes went wide. "You poor boy! Please, come inside and allow me to properly treat it!" The old woman almost dragged Kei into the shop.

"I'll be over there if you need me." Sun laughed.

The shop smelled familiar. Like the herbs that his mother used to use on his scrapes as a child. As a boy, he hated the smell of them, but now he found it comforting. The old woman sat him on a bench behind the counter, and disappeared behind a bead curtain into a back room. He heard mumbling, then the old woman reappeared, carrying a small bowl and two jars filled with dried herbs.

"What did you say your name was, boy?" the old woman asked crankily. Pinching herbs into the bowl.

"It's uh... It's Dong." Kei mumbled, sticking with the alias Joh had assigned him years ago. He couldn't just go around telling people he was Kei Liao, son of Admiral Zhan Liao of the Fire Nation Navy. He certainly didn't look like the son of a decorated Admiral... Nor did he feel like one anymore.

"That's one you don't hear everyday." the woman snorted. Kei felt his cheeks get hot.

"It's a family name." Kei said.

"Help yourself to some tea." the woman offered, nodding her head towards a pot on the counter. Kei nodded, taking one of the already poured cups with his good arm. "My name is Lan Liao."

Kei almost choked on the tea, his stomach doing cartwheels. The Liao family name was not common... How could he have been so stupid. His father grew up in Huohai... He had lived a modest life before meeting Kei's mother. And Kei had never actually met his grandmother. Could this woman be her?

"You look so familiar..." the woman squinted, sitting in front of him, a bowl of paste made from the herbs in her hand. "But I guess after all these years of living alone, everyone starts to look the same."

"You said your name was Liao?" Kei asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes..."

"Was your son an Admiral in the Navy?" Kei asked, as calmly as possible.

"He was. How did you know?"

"My father used to serve under him." Kei lied.

"I see. Small world, isn't it." Lan looked at him through her old squinted eyes. She took his arm gently, beginning to rub the paste over the burn. Kei winced.

"I guess so." he said through his teeth. The paste cooled the burn but stung at the same time.

"Zhan was a wonderful man... His wife was as well. They had two beautiful daughters. Luli and Suyin..."

"What about me?" Kei mumbled softly, not realizing he said it out loud.

"Excuse me?" the woman looked up at him.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Lan sighed.

"Huh?"

"I'm old, Kei, not stupid."

Kei pulled back his arm in surprise. He looked at the old woman, his grandmother, like she had just been lit on fire.

"Give me back your arm!" she snapped, grabbing it and pulling it back onto her lap.

"How do you know who I am?"

"So you are him." she grinned. "Fell right into that one, didn't you!"

"What?" Kei's mouth dropped open. How could this insane woman be related to him?

"I knew you weren't dead." she said. "Your father's spirit would have told me. He's the one who told me who you were!"

"You can't talk to the dead." Kei grumbled. That proved it, she had lost her mind.

"You can if you try hard enough!" This woman was crazy. "You just gotta keep your mind open!"

"Are you going to tell my family?" Kei asked softly.

"I'm afraid I'm the only family you have left..." Lan looked down at his arm.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mother and sisters went looking for you... They were killed by Loyalists in between the Capital and another town."

He was silent. They were dead? _All of them?_ Everything he had pictured for his family suddenly shattered around him. They weren't living quietly without him after all. They were dead because of him. He looked down at his arm. It wasn't the first person to die because of him...

"My mother went looking for me?" Kei finally muttered. "She hated me..."

"No mother could hate their child, she just didn't understand you."

"More like didn't want me."

"No..." Lan shook her head. "Although I never heard from her after Zhan died, I remember all the times she stayed up with you as a baby, making sure you survived the night..."

"Survived the night?"

"You were a very ill child. Many healers blamed it on how old your mother was when she gave birth to you. As you can imagine, forty-six is not the ideal age to have a baby. Others said you were born under bad stars. But whatever the reason, your mother spent all night sitting by you crib. You grew out of it, eventually, but because of it, MeiLin always viewed you as fragile."

"No one ever told me that..." Kei said.

"No one would have."

"Forgive me if I'm being forward... All of this is a bit of shock." Kei mumbled.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Lan smiled. "It's not every day you meet your grandmother. So where have you been all this time?"

"I found a place with the wrong sort of people..."

"They did this to you, right?"

"Yeah..." Kei studied her as she began wrapping his arm. "How did you know?"

"Your father keeps a close eye on you."

"Right..." Kei said. He was still skeptic on the whole talking to spirits thing, but he was in too much shock to argue. How could he be the last of his family left?

"There, your arm should heal nicely. It will leave a scar though, since you seared the damned thing shut." she stood, placing her hands on her hips. "All firebenders are idiots, I tell ya. You take after your grandfather that way. Spirits rest his soul. You two are the only firebenders in the Liao family for the past 90 years."

"Thank you." Kei stood, standing over Lan quite a bit. She was a very short woman. "I never thought I'd see family again."

"Nor did I." Lan smiled. "And don't worry, the spirits have something planned for you."

Kei smiled a little, for the first time in a long while. He wrapped his arms around her quickly, embracing her.

"Look how boney you are, aren't you eating!" she poked his rib cage as she came out of their hug. "Would you like me to make you something?"

"Sorry, lady, but we have to get back to the family." Sun said, entering the shop. "Ugh it smells in here. Dong, darling, say good bye to the old lady. We're leaving."

"Thank you for you help. How much do I owe you?" Kei asked, bowing.

"Your company for a lonely old woman was payment enough. It was nice to talk to someone." Lan winked at him.

"You hear that, free medical care! Let's go!" Sun grabbed Kei's sleeve, pulling him out from behind the counter. Kei looked back at Lan. Her happy smile had fallen. She had understood his silent plea to just let him go, that there was nothing she could do for him. And for that he was thankful. While the news she had shared with him had been heartbreaking to say the least, he had been able to give his last family member hope. He still had so many questions unanswered... When was his family killed? What happened to their estate, their accounts? Why had his mother treated him so horribly if she loved him? Just as she would have questions for him. But all that would have to wait.

"Your arm feeling better, kid?" Sun asked.

"Uh, yeah." Kei nodded.

"Good, then you can hold these." Sun turned, dropping bags of food and other worthless items like jewelry into his arms unceremoniously. He inhaled. He had to pretend everything was the same as before, for Lan's safety. Who knows what Jinto would do to her if he found out who she was.

* * *

Hours had passed since Roku had left the village, and she had managed to find her way to the ocean, and had been sitting on the edge of the small icy cliff for the better part of the afternoon. She remembered sitting here during sunsets with her mom when shew as little, listening to stories of her adventures, or even old folk tales she had heard in the other nations. When she was ignorant of who she was.

She heard crunching of snow behind her, as well as soft mumbling. The two voices were familiar, and distinct enough to identify. She turned around, to find Kya and Luan standing there. Her parka was in Luan's hands.

"Hey, you okay?" Kya asked, taking a step towards her.

"Did you know?" Roku asked, standing up.

"Know wh-" Kya began. "Oh, uh. No. I didn't know your father was the Fire Lord. Well, I mean, I do now, but that's because I heard the same thing you did..."

"Luan?" Roku looked at her younger friend. He shook his head.

"No, I didn't know before now."

"Are you going to come with me, if I go to the Fire Nation?" Roku asked.

"To the Fire Nation?" Kya's jaw dropped. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"I really don't care." Roku glared at the ground. "Would you go with me or not?"

"Roku, you're my best friend. But I don't think this is the best way to..." Luan began.

"I don't need airbender wisdom right now. I just need to know if my friends would be willing to do this with me." Roku mumbled.

"I couldn't let you go alone, I mean, what kind of cousin would I be?" Kya smiled. "If it's something you feel that strongly about, then I wouldn't try to stop you."

"I couldn't let you go alone either." Luan said reluctantly. "But how would we get there?"

Just as if on cue, a load roar was heard overhead. The three teenagers looked into the sky to see Appa, being ridden by Aang, flying towards the village.

"Dad's back early..." Luan said. "Something must have happened..."

"We just found our way into the Fire Nation." Roku said, a smirk forming on her face.

* * *

**A/N:** _We will be seeing more of Kei's crazy grandma. I like her, personally. This was the family chapter, so I had to have both of them encounter familial situations. Do you believe that Kei's father is watching him from the spirit world? I thought it was a nice twist. Now go see the prequel! Oh, and by the way, I redesigned Kei's character and he and Roku are now in a picture I drew on my deviantart. Profile name is Crzy4Avatar Don't forget to review! :D_


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